Exotic Rides: Lotus Elise Sport

U.S. enthusiasts were enticed when Lotus introduced the mid-engine Elise in 1996, which wasn’t street-legal in North America. So close, yet so far. After many years of success in Europe, Lotus at last managed to tweak the Elise to (mostly) meet regulations in the states in 2005. The much-anticipated arrival was greeted with open arms and wallets. Paying list price was out of the question, and willing customers even covered the surcharges without a second thought.

Lotus followed the success of the Elise with the similarly styled Exige Coupe, and the latter has been generating plenty of buzz. Time to pause and consider: Has the mystique faded or does the car still uphold Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s timeless philosophy of performance through light weight?

We rated our findings based on our yellow Elise Sport’s luxury and practicality relative to its class. Each category is worth 50 points for a possible 100 points.

the luxury ride

The biggest missing link to the first-generation Elise meeting U.S. regulations was the engine. As Lotus readied the next edition, they looked to Toyota to fill the void and the engine bay behind the driver. Wheels began turning. The Elise may only have Toyota’s 1.8-liter under the bonnet (yes, just like your girlfriend’s Corolla), but with the six-speed manual car’s weight at 1,975 pounds, that heretofore humble servant’s 189 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque jolt the Elise to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. Top speed is more than adequate at 150 mph.

With a base MSRP around $43,000, the Elise gives the kind of good vibes you’d ordinarily get from sports cars that cost thousands more. Even if some of its raw numbers don’t stack up with the bigger boys, you’ll probably never know it from the driver’s seat. If you do notice, you’re even less likely to care; the intrinsic rush is that intense. The Elise Sport comes packed with suspension upgrades, including adjustable Ohlins shocks, but under most conditions the ride stiffness (and for that matter, the overall noise/vibration/harshness) is just about right for a no-nonsense sports car. Weight and feel from the unassisted steering leaves little to be desired, and the four-wheel ABS is top-notch too. One of the few performance gripes we have is the relatively tight pedal box. You’ll have no problem heel-and-toeing, but leave your Herman Munster biker boots at home.

It takes a certain kind of guy to drive the Elise. While we’re referring partially to his character (and ability to live with the yellow paint and silver stripes of the sport package), we’re also suggesting his build shouldn’t be overly generous. Graceful ingress and egress takes time and practice, especially with the targa top in place. Once inside, you’ll be snug in the tight, spartan interior — all the better for tackling your favorite back road or track.